Watch the Throne?

It’s been nearly 25 years since the original king of gaming, Atari, has released a console. Atari have confirmed that they are “back in the hardware business” after releasing a short teaser video for the Ataribox. The video reveals little about the console but does display wood panelling, a signature feature of its older models.

CEO Fred Chesnais, in an interview with Gamesbeat, said it would be based on PC technology. What this actually means is anyone’s guess. It could be that the system runs emulator software to play classic Atari games, or that Atari preparing a current gen console in direct competition with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. This seems like a risky option to enter the scene at this point in time, but if it is ‘PC technology’ and ‘years in the making’ then it may be likely they are gearing up to tackle the big 3 head on.

A cursory glance at the market seems to suggest that fans are very much in favour of retro gaming. Nintendo’s NES classic was a hit, Microsoft’s consoles are backwards compatible; only Sony stubbornly refuses to grant this functionality outright.

Whichever way they decide to take the console, its addition to the market is a welcome one. Back in the 1990s, the gaming market was rife with home consoles in an era that was defined by consumer choice. Some were legitimate, while others were experiments that didn’t last long. Successes like the SNES and the N64 were simply the ones that reached the top.

There is no set time frame for when this console will be released, but for those interested you can sign up on the Atari box website for live updates.